Hopper door



March 13, 192s. 1,662,760

A. G. SANDMAN HOPPER DOOR Filed Oct. 27. 1922 Patented Mar. 13, lQZS.

tarea HOPPER DOOR.

Application filed October 27, 1922. Serial No. 597,378.

rIhis invention relates to railway dump cars and, generally stated, involves the production of a hopper car door or hinged bottom section of simple and durable construction.

Under service conditions certain disadvantages have arisenl incident to the use of metallic car doors of corrugated construction, and especially those embodying stiening or spreader members arranged near the bottom of the door and at the lower ends of the corrugations, pockets being formed behind and immediatelyA above the spreader member into which pockets collect cinders, dirt and moisture, thereby causing the portions of the door adjacent Vthese pockets to rust through in a comparatively short time and render the door unsuitable for use.

The present invention has been designed to. overcome these experienced difficulties and, to this end, the principal feature resides in the provision of spaced metallic car Adoors or hinged panel sections having longitudinallgf extending corrugations or other surface con gurations terminating short of the ends of the door, said door being connected by a reinforcing or spreader member spaced from the ends of said corrugations so as to provide ample space behind the spreader, thereby permitting such substances as cinders, dirt, snow and rain to run through without clogging and rusting the door.

In the accompanying drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a hopper type of dump car embodying the invention. Y

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of my improved construction of twin hopper doors and connecting spreader member.

Figure 3 is a slightly enlarged detail vertical sectional view -on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

The portion of the hopper type of railway dump car shown includes a bottom section or panel 1 suitably inclined -to form a slope sheet down which the material slides when the door is opened. Side walls 2 cooperate with the inclined bottom sect-ion to form a discharge chute or hopper through which the contents of the car pass, all in the usual manner as will be understood. A portion of an end wall 3 is shown in Figure l, the hopper door 4- being hinged to the lower edge thereof, as indicated at 5.

The hinge connection may be of any desired construction, the strap members 6 thereof being looped or bent back upon themselves and connected to the door by means of rivets 7. =Each strap member 6 passes through an opening formed in the strengthening flange 8 extending across the upper edge of the door.

The doors t are each formed of sheetmetal, suitably corrugated as at 9, said corrugations extending substantially throughout the height of the door and terminating'short of the lower edge thereof. In hopper doors of the shape illustrated the corrugations may be slantingly arranged, as shown. It will be understood that various surface con- 'ligurations may be provided to form longitudinal passageways open at their lower ends near the bottom of the door. The lower edges of the doors are each provided with an out-turned flange, said flange forming a stiifening means for the door.

t The doors are preferably connected in pairs by means of the transverselyv arranged spreader l() riveted to each door near the bottom thereof, as indicated at 1l, said spreader being located well above the lower ends of the corrugations 9, as best shown in Figure 3. The 'spreader member is preferably in the form of a channel, the connecting rivets passing through a flange thereof and being preferably located between the corrugations. This arrangement of spreader member with the corrugations extending below the same provides sufcient openings for the passage or draining of material and prevents its accumulation and pocketing behind or above the spreader.

Intermediate the spaced doors the spreader member is slightly bowed and is adapted to have connected thereto a similarly bowed member 12 suitably riveted or otherwise attached, the operating means for said doors being associated with said bowed members in any preferred manner, as will be understood.

While I have shown a pair of corrugated hopper doors with the connecting spreader or stiifening member arranged above the lowermost ends of the corrugations, it will el (l including a member connected .to each or I( be obvious that various arrangements of doors and in some cases a single door may be provided as service conditions determine.

I claim:

l. In a railway dump car, thel combination with a pair of hopper doors each provided with longitudinally extending corrugations covering substantially the full area thereof and a spreader member connecting said doors, the said corrugations extending to vpoints below said spreader member for self from the lower ends thereof to provide passageWays behind said spreader member.

VIn a railway dump car, the combination with a pair of hopper doors each having surface configurations forming passageways, and means connecting said doors, said means .t3

said 'doors across said surface conligurations aiidspaced from the loWermost ends thereof.

4. In a railway dump car, the combination with pair of hopper doors each having longitudinal surface configurations arranged to ferm similarly. extending passageivays, and a yspreader member connecting said doors, the passagevvays formed by said surface configurations extending behind and beneath said spreader member.

5. In combination, a pair of hopper doors for railway dump cars each having a plurality of surface configurations forming passageways, Va flanged spreader member connecting said doors in spaced relation, said spreader member being arranged transverse ly of said surface configurations and having its iiangedportion located above the loWermost end of said passageways and adjacent said surface configurations.

G. In combination, a pair of hopper doors for railway dump cars, each of said doors being provided With longitudinally extending corrugations,a. spreader member joining said doors and arranged across said corrugations .near 'the bottom of the doors to form continuous passageways behind and beneath said spreader member, and means connecting the spreader member to the doors, said `means being vlocated between the, corrugations.

7. In combination, a pair of longitudinally corrugated hopper deors'for railway dump cars, a spreader member extending across.

the corrugations andconnecting said doors, said spreader member being arranged near the bottom of the doorsm spaced relation from the lowerinost ends of the corrugations,

member being arranged to extend across said.

surface configurations and being located above the lower-most. ends of said passage.- ways.

.9.LA hopper door for railway dump cars provided .with surface configurations over substantially thefull area thereof.andform-V ing passageways, and a vsti'ffening .member connected to said door,.said stiffening member being arranged to extend across Vsaid surface configurations and being located above the lowermost ends of said passageways to permit self cleaning thereof.

In testimony'whereof I aflii; my signature AUG-UST G.' SANDMAN 

